The Military K-9 Unit Collection. Valerie Hansen

      “Yeah. My fault entirely.”

      “What about Sergeant Sullivan? Did she sustain any injuries in the attack?”

      Linc shook his head. “That’s the crazy part. Whoever broke into her apartment apparently did it to unhinge her. I’m actually surprised that she recovered enough to function this morning.”

      “Women are not the weaker sex, in case you haven’t noticed. We may be physically stronger, but they have us beat when it comes to rolling with the punches. Look at how she refuses to be cowed by a murderous brother. I’d have my back to a wall and be locked and loaded 24/7 if Boyd Sullivan came from my family. My older sister is bad enough.” His smile spread to a grin. “She’s a major in the army.”

      “Wow. I see what you mean.”

      Relaxing in the chair and stretching, Roark asked, “What about your kin, Colson? Are they military, too?”

      Linc wished he could find a hole in the floor and dive through it. “One was. We don’t talk about him.”

      “Don’t worry about it,” Kyle Roark said. “Every family has its unsavory relatives. You just have to dig deep enough and there they are.”

      “Yeah.” Thinking of Zoe, Linc asked, “Do you know anything about Sergeant Sullivan’s late husband? His name was Flint. John Flint.”

      “Not offhand. Why?”

      “It’s not important. Apparently, he wasn’t the finest representative of the air force either.”

      “We take what we can get,” the vet replied. “Some recruits are better than others. Take Airman Fielding, for instance. At first glance, she seems a bit on the flighty side, but she’s the best tech I’ve had in years.”

      “What’s her story?”

      Roark shrugged. “Beats me. She’s not a typical chatty female. When I’m doing surgery that’s a plus, believe me.”

      Linc stood, disposed of his empty Styrofoam cup and waited for his companion to join him. “I’m ready to go back and see about Star.”

      “Okay, okay. We’ve had a long enough break, anyway.” He clapped Linc on the shoulder. “Remember what I said about women. It’s okay to take up with somebody of equal rank. You won’t lose stripes over it.”

      “That’s not what’s stopping me.”

      “Oh?” They proceeded down the short hall together.

      “Marriage is not for me. Never was. Never will be.”

      “Sounds pretty final.”

      “It is. Just because I believe she’s been truthful about her brother doesn’t mean I trust her regarding all the harassment she’s receiving. She keeps insisting she has no idea who’s doing this to her, yet it seems irrational that she wouldn’t have at least a glimmer of a clue.”

      “You’ve classed her as an honest person, right?”

      “Right.” Not sure what the captain’s point was, Linc waited for more.

      “Then maybe she’s too forthright to recognize lies coming from those around her. I’ve known people like that. They have trouble seeing beyond the good and grasping the bad in others.”

      “Naive, you mean?”

      Sobering, the captain led the way into his office and gestured toward a leather chair. “Have a seat.”

      “What about Star?”

      “They’ll notify me when she’s ready for further examination. I want to talk about you for a minute.” He circled his desk, sat down, pushed aside a short stack of files and clasped his hands atop the blotter.

      “Okay.” Given no other choice if he intended to see his K-9 soon, Linc eased into the chair Roark had indicated.

      “Tell me about your combat experiences.”

      “Whoa. Where did that come from?”

      “I’m getting the idea that there’s more to your decision to stay single than you’ve admitted, that’s all. Would you like to talk about it?”

      A wall immediately rose around Linc’s emotions. He knew he could refuse to discuss his past, and seriously considered doing so, yet there was something about Kyle Roark’s manner and voice that urged him to open up. If the captain had pressed him, he was positive he could have held out. Since Roark merely waited and seemed relaxed about it, he decided to reveal a little.

      “I lost part of my unit in Afghanistan.”

      A nod. “Understood.”

      “We were acting on bad intel and walked into an ambush. I barely got out alive. Some of the guys didn’t.”

      “Not your fault, was it?”

      “Not directly. We’d been befriended by the most beautiful dark-eyed woman I’d ever seen. Even with her hair covered, she was a stunner.” Swallowing hard, he struggled to go on. “I wasn’t the only one who fell for her lies. She was easy to believe.”

      “Again, that’s not your fault. I’m sure she was well trained in fooling the enemy.”

      “Well, she was good at it. We followed her advice and walked right into a trap.”

      “You can’t classify all women as liars because one tricked you. That’s a lousy reason to reject romance.”

      “It’s not just her,” Linc countered. “It’s a lot of things. My dad was the best liar I’ve ever known. He had everybody convinced he was some kind of hero when he was anything but.”

      “Sociopathic, maybe?”

      “Maybe.” Getting to his feet, Linc began to pace. “Look, I appreciate your concern, Doc, really I do, but all I want to do is be the best at my job and handle the best dog. Star and my badge are all I need. Deeper involvement with a subject I’m assigned to watch would be idiotic.”

      “So, how about somebody else?”

      “Not interested.”

      Chuckling, the veterinarian rose and followed Linc to the office door. All he said was “Uh-huh. That’s what I thought.”

       ELEVEN

      Wearing her spotless dress uniform instead of her camo ABU, Zoe squared her shoulders, briefcase in hand, smoothed her blue skirt below the white blouse and strode from the parking lot to her classroom, expecting it to already be at least half-filled with students. Instead, it was empty.

      Confusion momentarily halted her in her tracks. Where was everybody? Surely, she hadn’t made a mistake about her duty schedule. That was impossible.

      A tall, distinguished lieutenant general in uniform, his chest heavy with medals, appeared behind her at the door and cleared his throat. Zoe turned and snapped to attention with a brisk salute. “General Hall.”

      “As you were, Sergeant Sullivan. I came by to tell you we won’t be needing you here today, or until whatever problems you have with your stalker are resolved.”

      “But, sir—”

      “No buts. I sent you a memo after the final decision was made, but I thought it only fair to deliver this news in person, as well. You’re officially relieved of duty until further notice.”

      Zoe was stunned. She hadn’t done one thing to deserve being sidelined. Not one thing. Except be an innocent victim. Didn’t the brass realize that?

      There was nothing to do but submit, like it or not. “Yes, sir. What’s my alternate assignment?”

      “You have none. Not for the